Traditional pay-TV providers aren’t the only ones ramping up for fall premiers. XUMO, a live video-on-demand (VOD) and OTT service, announced it’s launching six new channels in September, as well as lining up additional special fall programming.
XUMO’s new offerings include Ambiance, which brings together HD video and selected soundtracks for a multi-sensorial experience, and Fox Deportes which offers Spanish-language sports coverage including soccer, baseball, basketball, football, golf, and more.
Also on the lineup is a channel called Futurism, covering breakthrough technologies and scientific discoveries, and the kid centered learning channel HooplaKidz.
Consumers can also watch full length live musical performances from a variety of music genres with Stingray iConcerts.
Finally, XUMO will launch LifeZette, a lifestyle channel comprised of stories, commentary, video, and graphics.
Additionally, in September, XUMO will carry the Formula Drift Showdown at the Texas Motor Speedway on the Network A channel, and the Emmy’s Red Carpet on the People Entertainment Weekly Network channel. Also in time for football season, NCAA and NFL commentary and analysis will be available on the FOX sports channel.
Overall, XUMO offers 100 live premium digital channels.
Meanwhile, ESPN announced it inked a multi-year deal with Top Rank for a new fight series that will showcase 18 main events in the United States during the first year, on multiple platforms.
Live fights will be televised on ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and streamed on the ESPN app as well as on the recently announced ESPN branded streaming service.
“ESPN is excited to announce this new relationship with Top Rank, the most comprehensive and innovative media agreement in the history of the sport,” Burke Magnus, EVP of programming and scheduling at ESPN, comments. “We believe in a new vision for boxing that will super-serve existing boxing fans and create legions of new fans through the highest quality boxing content across multiple ESPN platforms – 365 days a year. Together, ESPN and Top Rank will build the superstars of tomorrow through unrivaled exposure, original content and cutting edge technology.”
These new channel line ups come at a time when concurrent viewership on OTT services is hitting traditional TV-scale numbers.
Analytics provider Conviva reported that concurrent plays across its customers more than doubled to 4.73 million on Aug. 20. Although not confirmed, this spike coincided with the airing of Game of Thrones’ penultimate episode.
“Today’s most popular episodic TV shows can drive massive concurrent viewing greater than many sports,” Conviva CMO Ed Haslam said in a blog post.
